Guided Missile Destroyer INS Chennai joins the Indian Navy

In this regard, Manohar Parrikar also stressed that the Navy's growth and development must keep pace with the nation's growth and maritime security needs.

Mumbai, Nov 21 INS Chennai, a P 15A Guided Missile Destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai today.

Manohar Parrikar, whilst addressing the gathering, termed the commissioning of INS Chennai, last of the Project 15 A class Destroyers, as a historic day for the Indian Navy as it adds another milestone in our relentless journey towards achieving self reliance in battle readiness.

The ship represents a significant 'coming of age' of our warship building capability and defence preparedness, said the Defence minister. He further stated that the Indian Navy, in addition to providing overall maritime security to our country, also plays a crucial role as the 'net security provider' in our adjoining seas.

In this regard, Manohar Parrikar also stressed that the Navy's growth and development must keep pace with the nation's growth and maritime security needs.

Lauding the role played by the naval designers (DGND) and the ship builders MDL Mumbai, Parrikar said "with the induction of INS Chennai, a new benchmark has been achieved for our warship design and construction endeavours, with the sophistication of systems and equipment, and utilisation of advanced ship building techniques".

Following her formal induction, INS Chennai will be placed under the operational and administrative control of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. In due course, the ship will be assigned to the Western Fleet and would be base-ported at Mumbai.

About INS Chennai

The ship measures 163m in length, 17.4m in breadth with a displacement of 7500 tonnes and can rightfully be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India.

INS Chennai is packed with contemporary and sophisticated 'state of the art' weapons and sensors such as Surface to Surface Missile and Surface to Air Missiles.

The ship is fitted with a modern Surveillance Radar which provides target data to the gunnery weapon systems of the ship.

The ship is equipped to fight under Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare conditions.

A unique feature of this ship is the high level of indigenisation incorporated in the production, accentuating our national objective of 'Make in India'.

Named after the iconic port city of Chennai, the ship has a complement of about 45 officers and 395 personnel.

Enhancement of crew comfort has been a significant feature of INS Chennai, which has been ensured through ergonomically designed accommodation based on 'modular' concepts.

The ship will be under the command of Captain CR Praveen Nair, a Communication & Electronic Warfare specialist.

With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Chennai will augment the Indian Navy's mobility, reach and flexibility whilst proudly flying the Indian flag.

OneIndia News